Uncontrolled and illegal immigration represents a conundrum for Christians. Or does it?

It is only human to feel threatened in the face of rapid socio-cultural transformation, and that includes the changing face of your community when people no longer look like you. Is this a human instinct to be resisted in the face of the Biblical command to love our neighbours?

Boundary‑Defined Love

The command to “love thy neighbour as thyself” has been interpreted in two distinct ways throughout history. One approach emphasises boundaries and covenantal responsibility; the other insists on universal love, extending even to enemies. If God is Truth, then only the position that is logically coherent and self‑sustaining can ultimately be reconciled with divine reality.

“Neighbour” by definition implies one who shares boundaries — those within the same covenantal, moral, or communal framework. To love one’s neighbour is to honour these shared boundaries and protect the integrity of the community. Jesus himself demonstrated that love includes discipline when he drove the money changers out of the temple. His zeal was not hatred but defence of sacred order.

If Christians are tasked with spreading the Gospel, those who actively obstruct or dishonour it cannot be considered neighbours in the biblical sense. To extend indiscriminate love to such opposition would collapse the very boundaries that define neighbourly responsibility. True love, therefore, is not permissiveness but disciplined care for those within the covenant, ensuring the survival and flourishing of the community of truth.

Universalist Love

Others argue that “love thy neighbour” is a universal command, extending to all people regardless of boundaries. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan redefined neighbourliness as mercy across divisions, showing that love transcends ethnic and religious lines. His command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) makes clear that love is not limited to insiders.

Even his cleansing of the temple can be seen as an act of love — rebuking corruption to protect the people. Universalist love embodies the radical ethic of the Gospel: a commitment to seek the good of all humanity, even those who oppose or resist the truth.
What to make of this?

When tested at the level of first principles, universalist love risks self‑defeat if taken to its extreme. A community that indiscriminately loves even those who actively seek to destroy it may dissolve its boundaries, leading to exploitation or extinction — what might be called the “suicidal empath.”

By contrast, boundary‑defined love is logically coherent and self‑sustaining: it preserves the organism while still allowing compassion within its boundaries. And God is Truth; so logic must ultimately prevail.

Thus, the most compelling synthesis is to hold both in tension. Universal love remains the spiritual ideal, reflecting the radical ethic of Christ, but boundary‑defined love provides the practical safeguard that ensures survival and (logical) coherence. And this ensures that the community who are practising their ‘love’, continues to exist and continues to be the source of love. Extinguishing the source of love is logical

How to Enforce your Boundaries?

I believe that since ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’ references our ultimate reward, that is the ‘how’ we practice neighbourly love.

In the Bible, the word translated as “meek” (Hebrew ʿanav/ʿănāwîm) does not mean weak or timid, but rather humble, disciplined, and strong in restraint. It describes those who could assert power yet choose patience, humility, and trust in God’s justice.

The Greek praus carries the same nuance: strength under control. Rabbinic, mystical, and modern commentary all converge on the idea that meekness is not powerlessness but the conscious choice to restrain force, aligning oneself with divine order — which is why the meek are promised inheritance of the earth.

Hebrew root (ʿanav): From ʿanah, meaning humbled, bowed down, afflicted — but also gentle and modest.
Biblical usage: Moses called “meek” (Numbers 12:3); Psalm 37:11 promises the meek will inherit the land.

Greek praus: In Matthew 5:5, denotes balanced strength, gentleness, and controlled power.

Rabbinic view: The meek are the humble poor who rely on God, linked to peace and covenantal trust.

Mystical (Zohar/Hasidic): Meekness is ego-nullification, restraint that channels divine light, aligning with Malchut (Kingdom).

Jordan Peterson popularised the modern metaphor of meekness being someone who is willing to keep a “sheathed sword” — having real power, but restrained by moral choice.

Be strong, but do not abuse it. In police parlance, only use necessary force. You do not go about randomly killing people, you do not starve them in detention camps but do remove them (banish from the Temple) nevertheless.